Averting Global Disaster: A New Consciousness of Compassion

Posted on February 14, 2026February 14, 2026 by Brendan Mooney

I envision a critical mass of humanity discovering the profound power of collective consciousness through a purposeful immersion in the energies of compassion. By doing so, we might cascade enough love, wisdom, and visionary optimism into our shared reality to give birth to a new era.

A Warning

AI safety engineer Mrinank Sharma has resigned from the multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence corporation Anthropic, declaring that “the world is falling apart and is in peril.” In leaving behind his career in AI development to become a poet and coach, Sharma is stepping away from the machinery of technological progress and into a life of creative human encounter.

His departure feels like both a personal awakening and a prophetic act — not an indictment of AI itself, but of the forces controlling it. Like fire, AI is neither good nor evil; it is a mirror of human intention, capable of creation or destruction, meaning or meaninglessness, healing or harm, life or death.

In his resignation letter, Sharma wrote: “Our wisdom must grow in equal measure to our capacity to affect the world, lest we face the consequences.” In this single sentence lies a truth so vital to our collective survival that, if embraced, it could alter the course of humanity.

Yet the question arises — can we truly make this shift toward wisdom before it is too late?

The Problem

Throughout history, humanity has been haunted by the same shadows: greed, grasping, the hunger for power, manipulation, prejudice, fanaticism, and divisive nationalism. The twentieth century saw two world wars, countless smaller conflicts, the threat of nuclear annihilation, genocides, revolutions drenched in blood, and accelerating environmental devastation.

The twenty-first century has not freed us from these wounds. We have witnessed new wars, invasions by dominant powers, terrorism, and ecological collapse now reaching the threshold of irreversibility.

The recently unsealed Epstein files have further exposed the intoxicating grip of institutionalized power — the unspeakable crimes born from a system sustained by patriarchal privilege, wealth, and corruption. These horrors are not isolated; they are symptoms of a deeper moral decay.

Meanwhile, a billionaire-led technology industry now holds sway over politics, economics, and the very narratives that shape our minds. The path toward awakening appears narrow. It sometimes seems that only catastrophe — whether climate collapse or the runaway emergence of artificial intelligence — could rupture our collective trance. Western culture teeters on the brink of spiritual exhaustion, having lost its sense of sacred meaning. And yet, I believe a different future still stirs beneath the surface — fragile, but possible.

Signs of Hope

Despite the darkness, I hold fast to hope. Humanity carries within it the seeds of divinity — an ancient spark woven into the fabric of our collective soul. When the time is right, that divine wisdom may once again awaken within us, spreading through each heart that chooses compassion over fear.

The psychologist and author Professor Paul Gilbert, founder of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), defines compassion as “a motive that emerges out of the evolution of caring behaviour — a mammalian-rooted motivational system. What turns caring into compassion is our human capacity for thought, empathy, and mindfulness.”

To act compassionately, then, is to engage the deepest intelligence available to us — the intelligence of the heart.

This awakening is already taking root across the world:

In global initiatives like The Charter for Compassion and The Global Compassion Coalition
In new psychotherapies such as Compassion Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and the international Mindfulness Movement
And in grass-roots efforts like Compassionate Communities, where ordinary people cultivate kindness as a collective practice

Imagine a humanity that gathers its scattered light through the lens of compassion — reasoning compassionately, feeling compassionately, speaking compassionately. Such a humanity could generate a field of consciousness powerful enough to transform not only personal suffering, but the systems that perpetuate it.

Through compassion, we reclaim meaning. Through compassion, we rediscover the sacred.

Those who commit to living compassion as an embodied discipline — a state of being rather than an ideal — may yet seed a contagion of love, wisdom, and visionary optimism strong enough to birth a new era.

A Call to Compassion

For the sake of the generations yet to come, I dedicate what remains of my life to cultivating the consciousness of compassion. My hope is that those walking a similar path will join in this shared vow — that together, we may help humanity rise from its own confusion, awaken its divine essence, and steer away from irreparable loss.

In the end, it may not be technology that saves us, nor progress, nor power — but the quiet, fierce light of compassion burning in awakened hearts.

The Digital Narcotic and the Great Detox

Posted on February 8, 2026February 8, 2026 by Brendan Mooney

We are living in an age of manufactured noise, where the screens in our pockets act as spiritual narcotics, designed to keep us reactive rather than reachful. But beneath the crumbling institutions and the media spin, a deeper detoxification is happening. To survive the collapse of the old systems, we must trade our outrage for a revolution of the heart.

We need compassionate grace to immerse ourselves in the suffering of the world, bringing with us our healing wisdom and presence. These are the qualities of soul the world currently demands.

The problem with the manipulative media spin on our screens is that it is designed to keep us disengaged from the very things we have the power to change. Mainstream media feeds us a narrative intended primarily to sustain its own existence. To counter this, we must view all media through a filter of compassionate detachment. This allows us to read the subtext and discern truth from the spin.

We witnessed thousands of innocent lives, including many children, lost in Gaza—massacred by a supply of Western weapons fueling a cruel regime. Yet, the mainstream media downplayed the horror, aligning with political messages that diminished this reality. Can we truly trust such a source?

We know little of the truth within the institutions of power, privilege, and corruption, receiving only enough soundbites and “breaking news” to keep us in a state of reaction. We are being emotionally buffeted by algorithms—the modern spiritual narcotic.

However, these systems of power are slowly disintegrating, detoxifying from the inside out through a shift in consciousness deeper than we can imagine. The performers on the political stage are being exposed as compromised; the tech elites puppeteering the system are revealing their sociopathy. Even the wealthy are building bunkers, sensing the game is reaching a critical point.

Now, more than ever, we need courage, resilience, and discernment. A “revolution of the heart” must guide our actions. Our conscious presence alone is alchemizing. There are “mind parasites” in this realm that feed on fear and despair, leaving us drained. But a compassionate revolution does not require these low-vibration emotions. Anger guided by love does not spring from media-driven outrage; it arises from witnessing suffering. It is a sword of wisdom that cuts only to heal.

Do not let the ‘mind parasites’ of despair claim your energy today. Instead, choose one area where you can bring your conscious presence—whether it is a conversation, a cause, or a moment of stillness—and show up with the strength of a heart guided by love. The world doesn’t need more noise; it needs your healing wisdom. How will you show up today

Francis: An Icon of True Humanity

Posted on May 31, 2025May 31, 2025 by Brendan Mooney

St Francis’ lasting legacy was to teach humanity the sacred lessons of unconditional and boundless love. He especially taught love through his humble service to the vulnerable peoples in his own time who were held in contempt by the powerful and comfortable. He demonstrated the indestructible power of love, which overcomes our primal egoic thoughts of fear and separation, when he conquered his revulsion and fear of leprosy, kissing and embracing a leper. He then dedicated his life to the service of this most vulnerable, outcast and reviled community of his age. His freedom to undertake this service of love so powerfully was inextricably linked to his detachment from worrying about what others thought about him. This was an incredible freedom.

Francis radical non attachment to material possessions of the world was an antidote against the manipulation and control agenda of the world expressed in the cultural norms of his society. He was an advanced being of divinity and light who came into the world to change the course of the world for centuries beyond his own age. He is especially relevant to the world of today which sits on a dangerous precipice. This is why Francis appeals to people’s of all spiritual traditions and none. His message is that of non-partisan love. He demonstrated to us all how the living Christ present in all living beings, can be activated and actualised in a single lifetime.

Francis exuded light. He was consciously united with Eternal Light and this light shone on all whom he encountered. This Divine Light dwells within each one of us, and which is our deepest true self (but which is dormant in most of us). He was a mystic, healer, teacher, Bodhisattva and a dear father to the despised and disposable of his society. Francis is an icon of our own journey towards illumination. He is a pointer to our spiritual awakening. When we heal from our internal fear, judgment, harshness and violent self-criticism and embrace simplicity of heart we strip away the ego and superego, and fear-based defences such as cynicism, pessimism, chauvinism and narcissism. When we become light we warm and illuminate the lives of others. Francis can be a dear companion to us on the journey, gently helping us to deconstruct the unreal to reveal the real. Allow him to draw close to you.

Trauma and Compassion ~ Gabor Mate

Posted on March 22, 2025March 22, 2025 by Brendan Mooney

Originally written for the Lynn News, Thought for the Day

The internationally acclaimed medical doctor, Gabor Maté, is a bestselling author, teacher and public speaker whose pioneering compassionate work with people suffering from addictions and their causative underlying traumas, has been a very important voice in the development of global humanitarianism and compassion. Gabor was born in Hungary in 1944 of Jewish parents during the time of the domination of Nazism in Europe. Gabor says he was born into a traumatised world and a traumatised people, and as a result experienced early trauma himself.

He emigrated to Canada in 1956, worked as a teacher and then obtained a medical degree and became a physician. In his career, Gabor came to understand that there are a number of issues that need to be addressed in creating a stable, compassionate, healthier and sustainable world. These issues include supporting good nurturing parenting and secure and safe attachments for children in early life; creating better lifestyle and living conditions for people; lowering of stress and anxiety that creates nervous system activation and overwhelm, and teaching people to work with their emotional and psychological scars through a process of compassionate self-inquiry.

Gabor has made the bold assertion that trauma is endemic in human society, negatively impacting upon most of us, and perpetuated by a western materialistic agenda. He considers our current culture and society to be harmful to human good, of which he says:

…Illness in this society, physical or mental, they are not abnormalities. They are normal responses to an abnormal culture. This culture is abnormal when it comes to real human needs. And.. it is in the nature of the system to be abnormal, because if we had a society geared to meet human needs.. would we be destroying the Earth through climate change? Would we be putting extra burden on certain minority people? Would we be selling people a lot of goods that they don’t need, and, in fact, are harmful for them? Would there be mass industries based on manufacturing, designing and mass-marketing toxic food to people?…

As we look upon some of the massive problems facing humanity today, it is easy to lose hope, including the devastating loss of life in Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar and many other countries; mass third world hunger and destitution; the growing inequality and poverty in western nations created by poor wages; the rising cost of food, energy and housing prices; the ecological crisis threatening our very future on the planet and already eroding our lands and oceans; the growing wealth of a minority at the expense of the majority; the duplicitous and dishonest politics we have seen paraded before us, and many, many more issues. Gabor Mate would point to the need for us to compassionately de-traumatise our world. He would suggest that we treat ourselves and others with compassion, and to firmly, but compassionately, hold accountable those in positions of power and privilege who exploit the world for selfish ends. With compassion we can heal. With compassion we can create narratives about ourselves and others – especially those whom we might judge as being “failures” “losers” “idiots”- and recognise our common humanity. We can appreciate that life is hard for us all and that we cannot know what it is like to walk in the shoes of another person.